“Bravo! Bravissimo!”
Serenely unconscious of her enthusiasm, the boy swam slowly for a moment, breathing the air into his lungs, then serenely dived again.
“Vere!” called a woman’s voice from the house—“Vere!”
“Madre!” cried the girl in reply, but without turning away from the sea. “I am here! Do come out! I want to show you something.”
On a narrow terrace looking towards Naples a tall figure appeared.
“Where are you?”
“Here! here!”
The mother smiled and left the terrace, passed through a little gate, and almost directly was standing beside the girl, saying:
“What is it? Is there a school of whales in the Bay, or have you sighted the sea-serpent coming from Capri?”
“No, no! But—you see that boat?”